Apple

iPhone

iPad

iOS

Jailbreak

Cydia

This certainly isn't something Samsung wanted to find beneath its tree in time for Christmas.

Nonetheless, the European Union is delivering formal charges against the tech giant over claims that the company violated antitrust regulations when it pursued legal action against Apple relating to intellectual property.

EU regulators are poised to accuse Samsung of breaking competition rules in filing patent lawsuits against rival Apple, in the EU's first formal challenge to the consumer electronic industry's patent wars.

“We will adopt a statement of objections very soon. I don’t know if before the end of this year or the beginning of next year because we are in the last step of our internal procedures,” says Joaquin Almunia, the European Union’s antitrust chief.

In case you haven't already noticed, patent-related lawsuits are a big deal in Europe. Why? Because they can easily lead to a situation in which particular products are banned from shelves in the region. Earlier this week, however, Samsung confirmed that it will no longer seek to have various Apple products banned in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.